Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

January 2006

Abstract

Iliamna remota Greene (Malvaceae), endemic only to Langham Island in the Kankakee River, Kankakee County, Illinois, is a state endangered species. During the present study, the size of the population was determined, the habitat structure in and around the individual colonies analyzed, and management recommendation made to potentially increase the size of the population. During the summer of 2005, the I remota population consisted of 1,074 stems in 12 colonies, located along the northwest side of the island. In late June, flowering appeared to be prolific, where means and standard deviations of floral buds and open flowers were 1.6 :t 1.2 and 2.1 :t 1.7 per stem, respectively. By late July, however, flowering was sporadic, but many flowering stems had set seed with the mean number of fruits being 1.2 :t 0.9 per stem. Forty percent of sampled seeds germinated after being treated in hot water (80°C) for 10 seconds. Common species associated with I remota colonies were the cool-season Eurasian grass, Poa pratensis, and the East Asian shrub Lonicera maackii, along with 22 native species and a few other exotics. Previous management included cutting and burning of the shrubby vegetation in and around the l remota colonies. A return to these management practices is suggested.

Comments

This article was originally published in Erigenia, number 21, November 2006, pages 32-39.

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